Prop Pitch question...

[Rama]

Originally Posted by II./JG1_Krupinski

On or off, the 190 is never a CSP. CSP maintains a constant engine rpm regardless of throttle setting (within reason). That is why it's called constant speed propeller.

Again, reduce your throttle (Kommandogerät OFF) and your RPMs reduce. That is NOT CSP that is VPP.

You obviously haven't tried with Kommandogerät off..... try and you'll see I'm right (reduce or increase throttle, and RPM wont move).
I'm of course talking in game, not real.

[BSS_Sniper]

Thanks Rama for the clarification. BTW, what type aircraft to you fly in real life?

[Vidar_710]

Ironman has given great advise for Prop Pitch Managment for gaming IL2. IRL you would burn out an engine in no-time-at-all with these techiques.

Roma also had terrific advise for saving a bad engine. Again, useless IRL, however; Throttlinge back to 70% and bringing my prop pitch back to about 80% gives me more flight time with a crippled engine... My training as a pilot and a flight instructor has ingrained into my brain bucket to never exceed Manifold Pressure over Prop Pitch, so I follow that rule in-game too. It saves me from transfering bad engine management techiques into RL.

Example how Prop pitch should work in-game - HIGH SPEED DIVES:

Prop Pitch should be full forward to prevent over-speeding the airframe. Sounds confusing to some, I know, but here's why.

Dispite the High RPM pitch, this setting flattens the blade angle. The Govenor will prevent over-speeding the engine. The flat plane of the spinning prop now acts as a huge spinning speed-brake.

Great thread gents!

S!

\/

[Rama]

Originally Posted by BSS_Sniper

Thanks Rama for the clarification. BTW, what type aircraft to you fly in real life?

Robin DR-400 (fixed pitch) and Aquila AT01 (CSP)

[II./JG1_Krupinski]

Originally Posted by Rama

You obviously haven't tried with Kommandogerät off..... try and you'll see I'm right (reduce or increase throttle, and RPM wont move).
I'm of course talking in game, not real.

I do so exclusively, here are two tracks one with a CSP (P51) and one without (190A9). You will see changes in throttle do not change RPMs in the 51 (auto OFF) while changes to throttle in the FW produces engine RPM differences of 300 RPM or more between 2300 and 2600 RPM.

http://www.fly-eaglesnest.com/downloads/FW190A9.ntrk
http://www.fly-eaglesnest.com/downloads/P5120DNA.ntrk
http://www.fly-eaglesnest.com/downloads/CSPvVPP.zip

The zip file is just both files zipped up and all are provided in case of file corruption of the zip.

While there are minor fluxuations in the RPM of the P51, that's to be expected: Reasoning the engine is producing more power faster than the hydraulic system can adjust for, but it does definitely settle and maintain engine RPM, 2650 I believe: Even down to about 50% power.

On the other hand, the FW setting of 40% pitch (Auto = OFF) is turning about 2600 RPM @ 100% throttle. Reducing throttle in this case reduces engine RPM; @ about 70% throttle ~2300 RPMs. Definitely NOT a Constant Speed Propeller since by definition a CSP maintains a constant engine rpm.

-Raven

[na85]

Okay, I would very much appreciate if someone can clear up some of my questions:

If I'm in an American plane (p47, p51) and I want good level acceleration, should I be at about 80% pitch or so or should I do 100%?

If I'm in the same plane and in a hurry to get somewhere, or to get away from someone, should I be at 100% pitch, 110% throttle? Or should I be at lower pitch?

Does the same thing apply for Russian planes and FW190's (in manual mode)? (I'm aware the 109 has a different manual pitch system)

Thanks

[BSS_Sniper]

Originally Posted by na85

Okay, I would very much appreciate if someone can clear up some of my questions:

If I'm in an American plane (p47, p51) and I want good level acceleration, should I be at about 80% pitch or so or should I do 100%?

If I'm in the same plane and in a hurry to get somewhere, or to get away from someone, should I be at 100% pitch, 110% throttle? Or should I be at lower pitch?

Does the same thing apply for Russian planes and FW190's (in manual mode)? (I'm aware the 109 has a different manual pitch system)

Thanks

If you want good response and acceleration use 100% prop pitch. Anything else is just for cruise, cooling the engine or diving faster and holding your E a bit longer when you level off.

[JG52Uther]

Just how realistic is using 100% prop pitch? I think a lot of people just hoon along at 100 % pp and 110 % throttle online in il2.
I imagine in real life the power and speeds were a lot lower.

[Rama]

Well, you can check for many planes handbook (notes for pilots).... it gives you the rpm and boost you have to use for usual flight phase (take off, sustained climb, cruise flight, combat power, emergency power, etc....)
These advices were not given for no purposes... they were given in order to assure that a plane engine will remain reliable during some times (and at least some flights)

If every pilots was using rpm 100% and boost 100% all the time, then there will be a high probability of engine failure at each mission.

The problem is that engine stress is hard to simulate, even during one flight session... and impossible for a plane life (since basically a plane flown by a simmer has no "memory" of previous flights and of the stress accumulated during its life.

[II./JG1_Krupinski]

Originally Posted by JG52Uther

Just how realistic is using 100% prop pitch? I think a lot of people just hoon along at 100 % pp and 110 % throttle online in il2.
I imagine in real life the power and speeds were a lot lower.

Distances are longer too.